Electric toaster



' Deg. '5, 1939.

H. HAMEL ELECTRIC TOASTER s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 28, 1938 H Dec; 5, 1939.

HAM EL 2,182,229

ELECTRIC TOASTER Filed Jan'. 28, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 5, 1939.

- H. HAMEL ELECTRIC TOASTER Filed Jan. 28, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet :5

Invenifof- -Patented Dec. 5, 1939 v UNHTED STATES PATENT I QFFICE ELECTRIC TOAS'EER Henri Hamel, St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada Application January 28, 1938, Serial No. 187,468

2 Claims. 53-=-5) This invention relates to an improved toaster vertically elongated slotted frame sections 2| and construction. 22. Rigidly .connected to these sections and ex- An important feature of my invention is to tending horizontally therebetween area plurality provide a toaster designed so that the moveof top frame bars 23. To the lower portions of ment of the material to be toasted through the the, frame sections are securely fastened the end .5 machine may be very accurately regulated. portions of an elongated plate extending longi- Another feature of my invention is to provide tudinally between the sections in horizontal posia toaster constructed so that bread or other mation to form a bottom plate for toasting passages terial will be toasted in a very efllcient manner. in the casing.

Another feature of my invention is to provide it Mounted vertically in the frame structure so toaster which is capable of toasting a relatively as to provide longitudinally extending passage large quantity of material in a comparatively walls are a plurality of heater units each comshort period of time. posed of a pair of rectangular elongated panels 26,

Another featureof my invention is to provide a of mica or the like, connected by a unitary chantoaster having heating elements in the form of nel shaped metallic top strip 21 and having simsectional units which may be replaced very easily ilarly formed strips 28 attached to the bottom of and at a comparatively low cost. each panel. On each of the panel forming sheets Another feature of my invention is to provide a of the unit is mounted a coil 29, preferably of flattoaster which is very efficient and reliable in op= v wire, adapted to provide a resistance heating eration. wire. At the top, the two coils of the unit are -Other objects and advantages will hereinafter joined by a connecting transverse wire 30 while appear. v the two bottom ends connect to the bottom strips In the drawings which show, for illustrative 28. The upper end of each unit is detachably conpurposes only, a preferred form of the invention: nected with one of the longitudinal top frame Figure l is a perspective view of the assembled bars 23 by means of a U-shaped fastening clip 25 toasting machine. 32 adapted to straddle one of the top bars and Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the the upper strip 2? of the unit and connected with same, v I the top frame structure by a screw 33. The bot- Flgure 3 is a side elevational view with the. side tom ends of each unit are connected with the wall partly broken away to illustrate interior conbottom forming plate '24 by U-sha'ped fastening struction, clips 36 attached to the plate by screws and Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section insulated therefrom by means of insulating washthrough the machine, ers 36. To the bottom end of each screw 35 is Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the connected a conducting contact strip 31. These line 5-5 of Figure 3, units are thus assembled in edge to edge relation 35 Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on the line to form three heating walls extending length- 6-6 of Figure 3, wise in the casing and defining two toasting chan- Figure 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal section nels therein. By reason of their assembly, any of the interior of the machine, unit may be easily and quickly replaced so as to Figure 8 is a fragmentary section showing one 3 enable low cost repair of the injured or burnt out 40 cf the heater units in operative assembly, and resistance wires.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevation showing Extending lengthwise within the toasting chanpart of the actuating mechanism. nels so as to prevent contact'of the toasted mate- In the said drawings, l5 generally designates rial with the heating elements are a plurality of thecasing of the machine which is in the form guide or grid wires 40,.arranged in vertically of an elongated rectangular shaped shell of sheet spaced position, having the forward ends exmetal or the like secured to a heavier base plate tended through apertures in the front frame sec- IS. In one end wall of the casing are provided a tion 22 and rigidly held in place by a nut ll pair of vertically elongated feed slots I! while threaded on the projecting ends of each wire.

in the opposite or rear end are formed similarly The opposite or front end of each of the guide shaped discharge slots 18. In the top of the wires 40 extends horizontally through a sleeve 42 casing are provided a pair of longitudinally exthreaded in the rear frame section 2| and is tending vent slots l9. formed with a loop 43 adjacent which is mounted Mounted vertically within the end portions of a collar 44. Coiled about the rearwardly project- 5 the casing and secured to the base are a pair of ing end of each of the wires 40, between the collar connected .to a block 55 by a pivot pin 58.

44 and the rear end'portion of the sleeve 42, is a coiled compression spring 45 which acts to resiliently retain the wire in tightly stretched arrangement and to obviate warping by the heat from the heating coils.

The material to be toasted is carried through the' relatively narrow longitudinally .extending toasting passages by means of a pair of endless conveyor chains 41 equipped with projecting prongs adapted to frictionally engage the toasted material. These conveyor chains, mounted one in each passage, are arranged vertically and extend longitudinally in the casing.

At one end, the chains are trained over notched drive wheels 48 keyed or otherwise fixed upon a transversely extending shaft 48. One extremity of the shaft. 49 is journalled in a bearing 58 supported on the rear frame section 2|, while the opposed end is journalled in a bearing 5i supported on a frame standard 52. On this shaft 49, at a position spaced transversely from the drive wheels 48, is securely mounted a wheel 58 in the form of a metallic disc formed with a peripheral flange. Loosely supported on the shaft "at each side of the wheel 58 are a pair of radial arms 54 having their outer end portions pivotally The block 55 is connected to the inner end portion of r a complementary arm 51 disposed so that the arms 54 and 51 provide an articulated lever assembly. The arm 51 is arranged to extend above and to receive motion from a disc 58 keyed eccentrically to a shaft 59 to provide an actuating cam. The shaft 58 is journalled transversely in a support frame structure 88 and also carries thereon a relatively large pulley wheel 8| keyed or otherwse fastened to the shaft at a position spaced from the cam forming disc 58. A drive belt 52 is trained over the pulley 8| and is also trained over the pulley of a drive shaft 88 of an electric drive motor 64.

A rigid elongated lever 68' is mounted so that one end is connected by a pivotpin 81 to the frame 88 for vertical swinging movement. To the outer end of the lever 58 is connected a laterally projecting crank arm 68 arranged sothat the outer portion projects through an arcuate slot 69 in one side wall of the casing. At the intermediate portion of the lever 58, adjacent its inner pivoted end, is secured a transversely projecting fixed pin 18 disposed so that it may be positioned to intercept the outer end portion of the arm 51 for limiting the downward movement thereof.

.As will be noted, the block 55 is mounted so that an end portion is adapted to frictionally en:

I gage the periphery of the wheel 58. Thus, op-

eration of the electric motor 84 will effect rotaton of the shaft 58 through the medium of the pulley 5i so as to rotate the vertical cam disc 58. This movement of the cam is adapted to effect vertical oscillation of the arm 51 and the complementary arms 54 so that during upward movement of these arms the lever assembly formed thereby assumes nearly a straight line position with the result that the outer inclined face of the block 55 tightly engages the periphery of the wheel 58 and causes this wheel to rotate through a predetermined are together with the articulated lever. -When the cam swin'gs downwardly it permits corresponding downward movement of the articulated lever and the block is lowered without aflecting movement of the wheel 58 in a manner to be explained further on so that the mechanism will operate the wheel 53 in step by step movement, in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown at Figure an approximately vertical position, the pin 18 thereon will limit the downward movement of the arm 51 so that the latter is precluded from descending to the full throw of the cam but is only actuated by the latter during a portion of its elevated movement. This decreases the arcuate oscillatory movement of the articulated lever and the corresponding arcuate step by step movement of the wheel 53 and the conveyor drive wheels and correspondingly reduces the operating speed of the conveyor chains.

In order to assure effective operation and grip-' ping of the block 55, a coiled tension spring i2, attached to the base of the casing by a bracket I3, is connected with one of the arms 54 so that it exerts a toggle action on the articulated lever. Also, to maintain positive action, a split clamp i4 is mounted to frictionally engage the shaft 48 and is attached to the base by a screw I5, the clamp being provided with a tightening screw 16 so that the clamp may be compressed at suitable pressure to exert suitable friction on the shaft.

At the front end, each of the conveyor chains 41 is trained over an idler wheel 18 mounted on a shaft 19 journalled in a U-shaped bracket 80. Each of the brackets is formed with an elongated stem 8| arranged within a tube 82. A coiled compression spring 88, disposed so that one end bears aganst a flange at the rear end of the tube and against the bracket 80,-. acts to resiliently urge the brackets and the idler wheels forwardly to maintain the conveyor chains in resiliently stretched condition. As shown in the drawings, the conveyor idler wheels may be disposed within an extension housing 84 projecting forwardly from the main casing.

The wiring connections between the motor and the resistance coils connect with fuse elements 88 and with switches 81, 88 and 89, so that the conveyors and the heating units for the respective toasting passages may be independently operated.

As will be readily apparent, this construction provides a toaster which is very efficient in operation and which enables regulation for toasting T ling the speed of the conveyors in the intermittent or step by step operation thereof will enable efflcient toasting of bread which is in a dry or stale condition, or which is very fresh.

It is to be understood that theform of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes as to the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a toaster of the endless chain type, means for actuating an endless chain comprising: a source of motive power, an eccentric cam continuously operated by said source of power, a pulley over which the endless chain is trained at one end, a pivoted lever. a block pivoted to said lever adapted to engage the rim of the pulley, an extension on said block engageable by the cam, means for urging the pivoted lever downwardly, and manually operated means for limiting the downward movement of the extension over the cam. A

2.-In a toaster having independently removable heater units and an endless conveyor chain to move material to be toasted, pulleys over which the conveyor chain is trained, a motor for continuously rotating an eccentric com, a pivoted toggle for unidirectionally moving one of the chain pulleys, saidtoggle having a cam engaging extension for actuation, a spring for downwardly urging the toggle, a friction clamp for preventing retractive movement of the pulley by the toggle, and a manually actuated stop pin for limiting the downward movement of the extension over the cam.

HENRI HAMEL. 

